Remastering games in HD are becoming common this generation with many developers jumping on board to bring their classic games and making them all look beautiful for today’s console hardware. With the success of the first Resident Evil HD remaster last year, Capcom has decided to remaster Resident Evil Zero, was a Nintendo Gamecube exclusive several years ago. Featuring a lot of new things like remastered visuals and controls, there is something to look forward to in this game for fans and newcomers alike.
For fans of the series who may have played Resident Evil 0 before on the Nintendo Gamecube, you will not find any core changes in the game. What everyone will play in this HD remaster is the same exact experience that Capcom released for the Nintendo Gamecube. Content-wise, nothing has changed when it comes to the story. It’s a direct port of the original, although there are slight additions to make the game more fun and that’s the inclusion of new costumes to wear. Right from the beginning, there are costumes that are available to use. If you pre-ordered the game however, you will have access to even more exclusive costumes.
In addition to the costumes, another feature added in the HD remaster is the Wesker mode that gets unlocked after beating the game. Think of this mode as the Hunk mode in Resident Evil 2 where instead of playing Billy Coen, players will be controlling Albert Wesker with his signature moves. This means that with Wesker, you can can breeze through the game as he has supernatural abilities that he can use in taking down zombies and monsters within the game. Those who want to give the game a second playthrough with slight modifiers, playing the game under Wesker mode is a way to go.
One of the biggest changes in Resident Evil Zero HD are the visuals. Just like the first Resident Evil HD title, Resident Evil Zero HD now looks a lot better as the textures have been improved and the resolution has been changed to 1080p with 60 frames per second to make it more visually appealing. Character models look more vivid now and they look a lot better compared to the original. Those who found the original version to be too blurry, Capcom made sure the HD version fixed all of this. Fans will now find every inch of the area that players will explore total eye candy as the level of detail in the environments is much more noticeable now. Those who have played Resident Evil HD should know what to expect when it comes to the visuals as the quality is nearly identical between the two games.
Gamers who never played a Resident Evil game before should start with this one. Resident Evil Zero is the game that sets up the events of the first Resident Evil. Before the mansion incident with Jill and Chris, there’s already a duo that are facing the nightmare brought upon Umbrella – a STARS member named Rebecca, and a fugitive named Billy. For those who have been following the story, fans will see the reason as to why Albert Wesker brought Jill and Chris’ team in the mansion. Compared to the first Resident Evil, I find Resident Evil Zero to be somewhat subpar when it comes to the story. The beginning starts off strong, but it quickly dies down as you get to the latter parts of the game with all of the revelation of Umbrella.
When it comes to gameplay, it’s pretty much going back to the roots of the survival-horror genre. Expect ammunition and herbs to be scarce throughout the entire game. With the survival-horror genre becoming a joke nowadays, those who are looking for a game that goes back to the roots of the Resident Evil games will find it here. While recent Resident Evil games tend to be more action-oriented, Resident Evil Zero will give you a taste of what the genre is all about over a decade ago. Expect the game to provide challenges as you clear through the different areas of the game, solving puzzles, and taking down zombies knowing that you have 5 bullets left in your handgun.
One of my favorite things in Resident Evil Zero is the ability to switch between Rebecca and Billy within the game. While the first Resident Evil has two stories that you can play, Resident Evil Zero will make you play two characters in one story where you will have to keep switching from both characters as you solve puzzles and survive the wrath of Umbrella. For newcomers, the buddy system can come off as confusing, but I suggest you give it time to get used to it. Players can give commands to one character and have the other character be controlled by an AI. Or if you rather control each other separately, it’s possible and you can simply turn off the “Team” option from the character menu and you will have to control one character at a time. Either way, you will be switching back and forth between Rebecca and Billy as puzzles require you alternate between them.
Gamers who have played the Gamecube version before and are wanting to play the remastered version again, they have two control schemes that they can choose from – the original tank movements as found in the first three Resident Evil games, and the alternative control scheme that is best suited for new generation gamers. For an old school gamer like me, the original tank controls is something I prefer the most as I’m used to it and it plays better on my end.
For fans of the Resident Evil series, solving puzzles are one of my favorites. Fortunately, there are a lot of puzzles to solve in Resident Evil Zero just like in the first Resident Evil game. To proceed from one area to the next, you will be forced to solve puzzles to progress through the game. The puzzles are quite easy as it just involves players running back and forth, while remembering certain things like combinations, lighting up torches, or moving statues from one side to the next. Some puzzles will require you to use basic math skills but don’t worry, the puzzles in this game will definitely not give you a headache in solving them.
Managing items is one of the most annoying things in Resident Evil Zero. In the first Resident Evil game, there’s an option to have a storage box where you can keep items that will not fit on your inventory. Well, in Resident Evil Zero, they completely removed it and you will just have to drop the items on the ground in case you fill all six slots of your inventory. With the game allowing you to only have six item slots, it’s so easy to fill those up and the problem of which item to drop comes in. Some prefer the storage box system from the original Resident Evil while others like the dropping of items – for me, I prefer the storage box system, but then it’s just a matter of preference.
Fans of the Resident Evil series who missed out on Resident Evil Zero over a decade ago should consider picking the HD remaster version as it fills the storyline gap of the first Resident Evil. Compared to the original, the game offers a big visual lift as the game now supports full HD and the textures have been improved making it total eye-candy. Gameplay wise, it feels that the game has aged significantly especially the controls but there are alternate controls available. It’s not the best Resident Evil out there, but it will surely give you a scare throughout the game and fans should definitely consider picking this one up.
[Editor’s Note: Resident Evil Zero HD Review was reviewed on the Xbox One platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
